In the 18th century, the stone bridge "Kivisild" (Tartu Kivisild), dedicated to Empress Catherine II, was built next to the Town Hall Square. In 1775 there was a big fire in Tartu, during which a large part of the city centre burned down. The Empress allocated funds for the reconstruction of the city, including the construction of the bridge. Work on the construction of the bridge began in the spring of 1776. The bridge was opened for traffic in 1784. Construction took place under the direction of I. A. Tsaklovsky and I. K. Siegfrieden. This bridge, which became a tsar's gift to the city, was built of granite blocks. Convicts - participants of the Pugachev uprising - worked on the construction. The bridge had two arches, the middle part was lifted. It was the first stone bridge in the Baltic countries. On its support was engraved the text: "River, stop your flow! Catherine commanded it". The Stone Bridge has become one of the symbols of the city of Tartu.
Unfortunately, during the Second World War, the bridge was destroyed. Its debris was removed only during the construction of the current pedestrian arch bridge. The reinforced concrete arches of the new bridge rest on the foundations of the former Stone Bridge. The new Kaarsild arch bridge connecting the banks of the Emajõgi River was opened to pedestrians in 1960. In 2004, a model of the former Stone Bridge was installed next to the bridge. There is a twin brother of the Stone Bridge in Tartu in St. Petersburg. It is the Lomonosov Bridge on the Fontanka River, built in 1785-1787.
